Sealed fruit and veg vs loose.

steve66

I often shop in the eastern european supermarkets who sell their fruit loose. The only thing you have to buy at least one box of are strawberries.
Grapes were in plastic bags, but not sealed. So you can buy as little or as much as you want. You only want one nectarine, and two peaches, and just few cherries. That's fine.
I'm thinking about a particular shop now, who have a lovely display of fruit and veg.
So i was singing the praises of the shop to one or more of the employees, and saying that most stuff as far as I could remember in places such as Tescos was sealed.
But maybe I was wrong. So i decided to check out Tesco's, Aldi's, And lidl's. I can't remember if i checked Dunne's. I found that the only loose fruit across all those I checked were bananas, and larger fruits such as mangos. Tescos had no loose apples(which really surprised me), and the only loose orange's I could see were their own brand.
I've been googling about this and the first result was an article about Asda in England (i presume) and people tearing open sealed fruit, or vegetables and trying to buy just the amount they want.
I have seen arguments for and against loose and sealed fruit and veg. But as I
do not have information on it, I won't make a comment.
I would love to hear if anybody has any comments on sealed fruit and veg vs loose, anti or pro

wally1990

<SNIP>

I’m personally for loose because I never use the amount supplied in bags/boxes in my household and it’s end going to waste which is not good and is thrown out

From a financial view point

I’ve found the loose items v the packaged to be similar prices which leads me to buy packaged but again it goes to waste

So from that view point that is +1 on food waste and +1 on packaging/refuse waste increase in society

However

If the loose were low cost in comparison to packaged then I’d move to buyer more loose but that’s the downfall I find that there isn’t much of a difference

steve66

steve66 wrote: »

Tesco's, Aldi's, And lidl's.....

*twitch*

You're dead right though, people should be washing their fruit and veg when they get home anyway so the plastic packaging is usually overkill.

Jellybaby1

I bought just one red onion in Tesco last week. I don't use them very much as I prefer spring onions but it was great to be able to just buy the one.

Del2005

Deleted User wrote: »

*twitch*

You're dead right though, people should be washing their fruit and veg when they get home anyway so the plastic packaging is usually overkill.

The plastic packaging prolongs the shelf life of the product, air rots food and removes the nutrients so they are usually pack in nitrogen.

fritzelly

Because its cheaper to buy a bag of apples or whatever even tho you will never eat them all before they go off
All about quantity sold
No reason for sealed fruit or veg - ffs it was in soil a few days ago, do you really need it washed and sterilised before you buy it.
Alas we live in a society where you can buy pre-cooked rice that cooks in 5 mins in the microwave (as opposed to 10 mins in a pot) what do you expect?

fritzelly

Del2005 wrote: »

The plastic packaging prolongs the shelf life of the product, air rots food and removes the nutrients so they are usually pack in nitrogen.

And as soon as you open it you just lost all freshness
Was a BBC report (I think BBC) or something a few years ago that found it really made no difference to the shelf life - stuff doesn't go off that quick

Those Tesco and Lidl 3 packs - If there's 1 good onion among the 3, I consider that a lucky day.

Loose all the way.

dudara

On the positives, packaging helps enhance the life of the foodstuff and protects it while in transit or on display.

On the other hand, packaging is an obscene waste of plastic, especially as we can’t currently recycle thin film plastic here in Ireland and TTBOMK it goes to landfill. Multipacks of food also contribute to food waste, as you’ll probably buy more than you need. Plus usually only the “perfect” fruit/veg makes it into the multipacks, so there’s probably a lot of food waste at source too.

If I had a choice, I’d prefer loose fruit & veg with paper bags, or even no bag. I haven’t taken a plastic bag from the fruit & veg section in years now.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

Our local SuperValu have compostable bags available for loose fruit and veg. It's great as it means i can re use them for the kitchen compost bin.

Dial Hard

Tesco, Aldi and Lidl have all recently committed to increasing their selection of loose fruit and veg and reducing plastic packaging. I'm not sure what Lidl you went to but mine has a huge selection of loose produce. It tends to be slightly more expensive than the bagged stuff but that's a premium I'm willing to pay.

coylemj

I'd like to congratulate our mod dudara for removing a quote from the first responder's post - 'no need to quote OP in the first response'

About time says I.

Would that all mods on all fora did the same, especially when the OP includes a photo or screenshot.

coylemj

Del2005 wrote: »

The plastic packaging prolongs the shelf life of the product, air rots food and removes the nutrients so they are usually pack in nitrogen.

That only applies to leaves like rocket, spinach and baby leaves, they are packed in airtight bags filled with nitrogen. Hard and soft fruit are much more hardy, don't oxidize anywhere near as fast as leaves and usually just need to be kept cool.

steve66

Thanks to everybody who responded.
I guess really customers should, and at least have a choice

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I bought just one red onion in Tesco last week. I don't use them very much as I prefer spring onions but it was great to be able to just buy the one.

.
I'm not sure about loose onions. I was concentrating more on fruit than vegetables. I like red onions, but like yourself, but like yourself, I prefer scallions.

steve66

Dial Hard wrote: »

Tesco, Aldi and Lidl have all recently committed to increasing their selection of loose fruit and veg and reducing plastic packaging. I'm not sure what Lidl you went to but mine has a huge selection of loose produce. It tends to be slightly more expensive than the bagged stuff but that's a premium I'm willing to pay.

i might pop around to at least Lidls tomorrow, and post at they have loose in regards of fruit and veg.
It would nice if this commitment extended to where I Live.
By the way, that should be easy to figure out, from the other post I responded to.:)

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It's quite simple. If you want to be guaranteed loose fruit and veg, and better quality, then go to a greengrocer rather than a supermarket.

Stoner

fritzelly wrote:

No reason for sealed fruit or veg - ffs it was in soil a few days ago, do you really need it washed and sterilised before you buy it

Some fruits are months old, oranges bananas, apples

quadrifoglio verde

Much prefer loose. In a tray of 6 apples, 2 will be bruised or damaged and I won't find out until I get home.
I also find loose to be cheaper compared to the equivalent in a package.
Cheaper per kg that is, not cheaper per quantity.

I can see why the retailers prefer packed though. They're easier to put on the shelves, they sell more and they don't have the problem of fruit that no one wants, because half of that goes home in the box with the consumer

Eggs For Dinner

With loose fruit and veg, shoppers tend to paw a lot of the produce as they cherry pick (sorry) the best items, leading to damage. Not a huge issue as I thoroughly wash everything anyway

Glass fused light

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

With loose fruit and veg, shoppers tend to paw a lot of the produce as they cherry pick (sorry) the best items, leading to damage. Not a huge issue as I thoroughly wash everything anyway

Do you see many worker's portaloos in fruit and veg fields?
Always wash before eating

Glass fused light

Stoner wrote: »

Some fruits are months old, oranges bananas, apples

too true Ireland is the one of the biggest exporter of bananas in the world.

Tell me how

45% of all food produced never makes it to a plate (over 50% in case of bread). So much of what we do with it is inefficient. Plastic packaging is just another example of that.

It's depressing to see two pears sitting in a moulded plastic container. Aside from the plastic which is discarded often just minutes after purchase, pears which don't fit in to the container are thrown to the side in the packaging plant.

Agree with Srameen about using a bona-fide veg shop for less packaging.

cursai

fritzelly wrote: »

Because its cheaper to buy a bag of apples or whatever even tho you will never eat them all before they go off
All about quantity sold
No reason for sealed fruit or veg - ffs it was in soil a few days ago, do you really need it washed and sterilised before you buy it.
Alas we live in a society where you can buy pre-cooked rice that cooks in 5 mins in the microwave (as opposed to 10 mins in a pot) what do you expect?

Only takes 2 mins in microwave. Saving of eight minutes right there. Buy packaged rice. Mmm msg.

steve66

so i went back around to Aldi, Lidl, and Tesco today, and I don't mind admitting I was wrong as regards the amount of loose fruit on display. But it's still way behind compared to what was on display in plastic. Let's say before, i would 90 perecent in plastic, and 10 percent loose.
Now I will say 75 to 25. Obviously those are just rough estimates.
I guess if I didn't frequent the eastern european shop, and seen all their loose stuff, i wouldn't have noticed how much is plastic sealed.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

steve66 wrote: »

so i went back around to Aldi, Lidl, and Tesco today, and I don't mind admitting I was wrong as regards the amount of loose fruit on display. But it's still way behind compared to what was on display in plastic. Let's say before, i would 90 perecent in plastic, and 10 percent loose.
Now I will say 75 to 25. Obviously those are just rough estimates.
I guess if I didn't frequent the eastern european shop, and seen all their loose stuff, i wouldn't have noticed how much is plastic sealed.

You don't need to visit eastern European shops for loose fruit. Any 'corner shops' has it. Every greengrocer has it. Why set the standard by the extremes of E. European shops and large supermarkets? You're ignoring all the retailers in between.

steve66

Harleigh Small Pavement wrote: »

It's quite simple. If you want to be guaranteed loose fruit and veg, and better quality, then go to a greengrocer rather than a supermarket.

There are no shops specialising in fruit and vegeables in my area. There were two
back around the 80's and 90's, I guess. I used to go to them quiet a lot.

steve66

Harleigh Small Pavement wrote: »

You don't need to visit eastern European shops for loose fruit. Any 'corner shops' has it. Every greengrocer has it. Why set the standard by the extremes of E. European shops and large supermarkets? You're ignoring all the retailers in between.

No, i know most of the shops in my area. Any loose fruit in those establishments, is going to be the same stuff as is loose in supermarkets.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

Not everyone has a greengrocer or corner shop. Our local green grocery is long gone and I live in a large town. The only option is to travel or go to a local supermarket.

Harleigh Small Pavement wrote: »

You don't need to visit eastern European shops for loose fruit. Any 'corner shops' has it. Every greengrocer has it. Why set the standard by the extremes of E. European shops and large supermarkets? You're ignoring all the retailers in between.

Harleigh Small Pavement wrote: »

It's quite simple. If you want to be guaranteed loose fruit and veg, and better quality, then go to a greengrocer rather than a supermarket.

Del2005

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

Much prefer loose. In a tray of 6 apples, 2 will be bruised or damaged and I won't find out until I get home.
I also find loose to be cheaper compared to the equivalent in a package.
Cheaper per kg that is, not cheaper per quantity.

I can see why the retailers prefer packed though. They're easier to put on the shelves, they sell more and they don't have the problem of fruit that no one wants, because half of that goes home in the box with the consumer

From your tray of 6 apples with 2 damaged how many loose apples in a box are damaged and not sold due to people throwing them back into the box?

Just because you don't see the waste in the shop from loose items and see loads of packaging on others doesn't mean that the loose item is good for the environment and the packaged one is bad.

steve66

Do people throw stuff back in boxes. Just put them down gently. It's more likely that loose fruit will get bruised, because of handling by customers.

CeilingFly

Glass fused light wrote: »

too true Ireland is the one of the biggest exporter of bananas in the world.

And officially bananas are "manufactured" here. Can't see Guaranteed Irish group allowing their label on them though

For those thinking this is crazy - bananas are ripened in huge warehouses (I think near balbriggan) and as this involves a process, it is regarded for tax purposes as manufacturing.


as for loose fruit in supermarkets - one of the main reasons so much is pre-packed is because scammers just love to slip on a strawberry or grape and then sue through the usual dodgy solicitors for compensation. So insurance companies insist on prepack to stop these scammers.